The National Federation of the Blind's
Materials Center now carries several publications and articles in Spanish on
2-track cassette. Available are "Blindness: Handicap or Characteristic";
"A Definition of Blindness";
"Blindness: A Left-Handed Dissertation"; What Color Is the Sun?; The
Freedom Bell; combination cassette of "Blindness: Handicap or Characteristic"
and "Blindness: A Left-Handed Dissertation"; the 1997 NFB Banquet
Address, "The Day After Civil Rights"; and the 1990 NFB Banquet Address,
"The Federation At Fifty." As with all Kernel Books, there is a minor
charge--the Spanish versions on 2-track cassette cost $5 each. To order any
or all of the cassettes, contact the Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230, or call (410) 659-9314, Monday through Friday between
the hours of 12:30 and 5:00 p.m. EST.

Allen Harris, President of the National
Federation of the Blind of Michigan, reports that two new chapters were organized
in the state during the fall. On September 20, 1997, a group gathered to create
the Kalamazoo Chapter. John Czrneki is its President. On October 4 the Western
Michigan Chapter of the NFB of Michigan was organized. The President is Darren
Warren. Congratulations to both these new chapters and to the Michigan affiliate.

For Sale:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

I have a Braille 'n Speak 640 and the
disk drive that goes with it, both with carrying cases. They are in excellent
condition. I also have the cables and manuals for both. Asking $800 for everything.
Please contact Mrs. Lillian Scott at (410) 298-4527 or (410) 298-2302.

Silk Flower Arrangements:

John TeBockhorst, who with his brother
Tom is an active Federationist, has asked us to carry the following announcement:

Piano tuning and related technologies
have been viable vocations for blind men for over 150 years. In the last twenty-five
years both men and women--most of them sighted--have been flocking to the profession.
Now visually impaired men and women can learn the art and craft of piano technology
at the Emil Fries Institute of Piano Tuning and Technology.

If you would like to learn more about
this business opportunity and how you can receive the training necessary to
start your own piano-tuning and service business, please contact the Emil Fries
Institute of Piano Tuning & Technology, 2510 E. Evergreen Boulevard, Vancouver,
Washington 98661, phone (360) 693-1511,
Fax (360) 693-6891, e-mail dsmitch@pacifier.com

Fellowship Available in Rehabilitation
Research:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University (MSU) offers
the Anne Sullivan Macy fellowship for a doctoral student interested in pursuing
a career in rehabilitation research in the area of blindness or low vision.
The amount of the fellowship is $700 per month plus tuition beginning in August,
1998. All applicants must be accepted into the doctoral program in the Department
of Counselor Education and Educational Psychology at MSU. The deadline for applying
to the Graduate School is March 1, 1998. Send all inquiries to J. Elton Moore,
Director, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision,
P.O. Drawer 6189, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (601) 325-2001, fax (601) 325-8989,
TDD: (601) 325-8693, or e-mail: jemoore@ra.msstate.edu

Tutorials Available:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Introducing a new service providing specially
designed cassette tutorials on using computer software. A few are also available
in large print, in Braille, and on computer disk. Subjects covered include DOS,
Windows(R) 3.1, Windows 95(R), most phases of the Internet, Microsoft Word(R),
WordPerfect(R), Telecommunication programs, and a seminar on running your own
home business. Free shipping and handling are offered as a special introduction.
Contact John Harden, Hear and Know, 1741 Decree Avenue, West Columbia, South
Carolina 29169, or call (803) 796-4887 or e-mail to jharden@gte.net

Computer Baseball Game:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Version 12 of the World Series Baseball
game and Information System is now available. Played on IBM-compatible computers
with screen readers and synthesizers, Version 12 comes with 139 teams, including
the 1997 pennant winners and all-star teams. There are two baseball games and
ten information programs. The cost is still $15 to new users, $5 for updates.
Send checks to Harry Hollingsworth, 692 S. Sheraton Drive, Akron, Ohio 44319
or call (330) 644-2421.

$50
bill
Redesigned U.S. Currency:

Based on recommendations from the National
Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Government is redesigning U.S. currency to make
it easier to read and to reduce the chances of counterfeiting. The new $50 bill
was issued in October, 1997; the $20 note is scheduled for release in 1998.
The Series 1996 $50 bill, and all redesigned currency to follow, will be notably
different from any other previously issued by the U.S. Treasury.

These notes will incorporate a new feature--a
large, dark numeral on a light background--making it easier to identify. The
low-vision feature will become standard in the design of future denominations
of U.S. currency and will not result in any devaluation or recall.

Special Offer:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

The holidays have arrived, and so has
the Reading Technology difference. From now until the end of January, 1998,
receive a free HP 5P scanner or WindowEyes screen-reading software with the
purchase of a fully loaded Arkenclone system, including at least an Arkenclone
computer, Double Talk or DECtalk hardware synthesizer, and Open Book 3.5 OCR
software. This offer must accompany your order. Orders must be prepaid, no post
office boxes please. Call (619) 685-7323 or (619) 685-READ.

Accessible Science Fiction Publications
Available:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Ed Meskys, longtime Federation leader
in New Hampshire, points out that another Federation was founded in 1940--the
National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F). This is a correspondence and service
organization for SF and fantasy fans, which is making a major effort to make
its services accessible to blind members. Its principal publications (the National
Fantasy Fan and Tightbeam) are available on cassette and computer disk respectively,
and most bureau heads will make their services available in accessible format.
Their blind services bureau will circulate magazines about SF fanzines and SF
books not otherwise available to blind members. Give the organization a try
by sending $18 (one year's dues) to William Center, 1920 Division Street, Murphyboro,
Illinois 62966-2320. Make checks payable to Mr. Center. The N3F has about 500
members and engages in many interesting projects.

Alexander Scourby Reading Available on
the Internet:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:Alexander Scourby was the first to record the Bible back in the
forties. Now this legendary recording is available on the Internet, along with
a large-print edition of the King James translation of the Bible. This recording
is also available as commercial software. The Internet address is: http://www.audio-bible.com

Braille Transcription Available:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Ferguson Industries, a division of the
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, is now producing Braille. We will Braille
documents in standard English for $.60 a sheet of double-sided copy on computer-sized
Braille paper. There is a setup fee, and binding is extra. For further information
contact Ferguson Industries at (617) 727-9840, or call their consultant, Rich
Wood, at (508) 668-5412.

Happy Ending:

In the July, 1997, issue of the Braille
Monitor we reported on the struggle Loretta and Joe White have had getting the
instructional services their daughter Niki was entitled to. They eventually
filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education,
which brought the school district to heel pretty quickly as measured in bureaucratic
time. The National Federation of the Blind supported the Whites every step of
the way. Here is the letter Loretta White wrote to President Maurer on September
20:

Dear Mr. Maurer,

At long last we have reached a settlement
with Anne Arundel County for the compensatory education owed to our daughter
Niki. And finally the county has paid up in the amount of $12,500. Please accept
our heartfelt thanks for your help. Without the help of the National Federation
of the Blind, we would never have been able to receive compensation for the
education services the county failed to provide over the course of three years.

Since there is no gag order, I hope the
Federation will be able to use our experience to help other families in similar
circumstances.